550 Squadron Photos

F/O K Bowen-Bravery CdG DFC and Crew

D-Day

"At 24 minutes past eleven on the night of June 5, 1944 Lancaster LL811, J-Jig of 550 Squadron, from North Killingholme, dropped its load of 14 thousand pound bombs on a gun battery overlooking the Normandy coast. It was the opening salvo of Operation Overlord, the greatest amphibious operation in military history."

LL811, J-Jig, known as Bad Penny II, was flown by the F/O Bowen-Bravery crew, and is credited with opening the D-Day attack, commemorated in the picture below.

The Bowen-Bravery D-Day crew (Bowen-Bravery, Thompson, Thomas, Fyffe, Cleghorn, Bodill, Thompson) were awarded Croix de Guerre (CdG) by the French Government in recognition of their aircraft leading the opening attacks on D-Day. The citation hangs beside the 550 Squadron Memorial Window in St Denys' Church, North Killingholme.

F/O Bowen-Bravery

F/O Kenyon Bowen-Bravery (on leave in London - his new wife Mary took the picture)
Picture kindly made available by the Jane Bravery Schwartz

F/O Kenyon Bowen-Bravery with Bad Penny at North Killingholme
Picture kindly made available by the Katy Bravery

F/O Kenyon Bowen-Bravery in India with a Dakota behind him (with 31 Squadron)
Picture kindly made available by the Katy Bravery

Kenyon Bowen-Bravery died in September 2013 at the age of 90 and his obituary, attached (left), recalls the part he played in Operation Overlord the greatest liberating armada in military history. He was only 21 years old.

"The Man who Started D-Day"RAF News Friday 20th December 2013 Kenyon Bowen-Bravery

P/O G E Thomas

Gwyn Edward "Ward" Thomas

Ward Thomas died in February 2019 at the age of 95 and his obituary, attached (left) was publised in The Times 7th February 2019. This recalls the part he played in Operation Overlord the greatest liberating armada in military history. He also, after the war, went on to become one of the leading figures in UK independant TV, in particular he founded Yorkshire Television in the Sixties, built colour studios and turned it into a broadcasting powerhouse.